THE Green Brunei team was given the opportunity to visit the site of Brunei’s first renewable energy project on Saturday.
Located at the former Seria Power Station, the Tenaga Suria Brunei Photovoltaic Power Generation Demonstration Project (TSB Project), is a joint project between the local government and Mitsubitshi Corporation, and is part of Brunei’s commitment towards developing sustainable energy sources.
The seven-member team from Green Brunei, led by Lim Yong Chee, were hosted by TSB officers from the Energy Department Hj Jufri and Raymee.
The visit began with an introduction to the history and milestones of Tenaga Suria. According to the presentation, the plant began operations in 2011. The TSB PV system has a nominal capacity of 1.2 MW and is able to generate 1,344 MWh of electricity per year, which helps to save 340,000 litres of crude oil each year. This translates to a reduction of carbon dioxide emission by 2,060,000kg.
This was followed by a visit to the control room, where the visitors were shown the impact of different weather patterns on the production of electricity at the solar power plant. The TSB staff also took them to see the six different panels laid across the site, explaining the capabilities and limitations of each panel.
“The visit broadened my knowledge of solar energy generation in Brunei,” said Wong Shing Ping, a member of Green Brunei.
Khairunnisa Ash’ari, the Community Engagement Director of Green Brunei, said, “The visit has been very informative. I previously came in with some misunderstanding about how Tenaga Suria works, and I’m very satisfied with the explanations provided by Hj Jufri and his team. We hope that the government of His Majesty will continue investing in solar energy research and that it will not be long before we can get into production on a national scale.”
Construction of the solar plant commenced in August 2009 and was completed in 2010. The Tenaga Suria was officially inaugurated by His Majesty in 2011, where it had already been supplying energy to the residents in the area.
Source: The Brunei Times